1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for the discontinuous preparation of farinaceous products such as spaghetti or the like, with a portioning apparatus for receiving the raw farinaceous products, a cooking chamber and a drainage chamber, with the inlet and the outlet of the cooking chamber and the drainage chamber each being closeable by valves which are arranged as flaps, with a single flap which is rotatable about a rotational axle being provided between the cooking chamber and the drainage chamber, and with the flaps in the inlet zone of the cooking chamber and the outlet zone of the drainage chamber being movable transversally to the inlet zone or the outlet zone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Apparatuses for the discontinuous preparation of portioned farinaceous products are known in many arrangements. They are used to prepare a portioned quantity of raw farinaceous products in the shortest possible time and therefore are used in respective automatic machines. Such a known apparatus is described in WO 90/04345. Raw farinaceous products disposed above the cooking chamber are given into the cooking chamber in a portioned way, the cooking chamber is closed and the farinaceous products are cooked under a predetermined temperature and under a respective pressure in a relatively short period of time. Thereafter the cooked farinaceous products leave the cooking chamber with the cooking water and are relieved of the water in an adjacent drainage chamber. Finally, the output is made in a suitable container such as a plate, for example.
The cooking chamber is closed in its inlet and outlet zone by a ball valve which on the one hand allows the filling and emptying of the cooking chamber and on the other hand guarantees a secure sealing of the cooking chamber during the cooking process. An a result of the relatively high friction of ball valves, they are highly sluggish and their drive therefore requires a certain amount of force, so that usually pneumatic drives are employed. Ball valves have the additional disadvantage that they have a relatively large overall height and thus further increase the total height of the aforementioned apparatus. Finally, the use of a ball valve in the outlet zone of the cooking chamber is not optimal, because the (cooked and sensitive) farinaceous products can be damaged while passing the ball valve.
Moreover, an apparatus for the discontinuous preparation of portionied farinaceous products with the features pursuant to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the registered documents of the German utility model G 93 17 939. In this known apparatus the flaps are pressed at the end of their linear movement by means of a lever gear perpendicular to the opening plane of the respective chamber for closure. The closure of the respective chambers perpendicular to the opening plane has already been known for a long period of time, with reference thus being made for example to the prior publications PCT/IT 86/00063 or PCT/EP 89/00797.
The mode of operation of the apparatus as known from the registered documents of the German utility model G 93 17 939.1 shall now be explained in closer detail by reference to FIG. 7. The apparatus substantially consists of a cooking chamber 1 with a cooking chamber inlet 1E and a cooking chamber outlet 1A. Above the cooking chamber 1 a portioning apparatus (not shown) is provided for charging the cooking chamber 1. A drainage chamber 2 is situated below the cooking chamber 1, the inlet of which is identical with the cooking chamber outlet 1A. A drainage chamber outlet 2A is located on the floor of the drainage chamber 2. The cooking chamber 1 can be closed in its inlet zone 1E by a linearly displaceable flap 3 and the outlet zone 2A of the drainage chamber 2 by a linearly displaceable flap 4.
The actual preparation process is as follows: After the portioned quantity of farinaceous products has been filled into the cooking chamber 1, whose outlet zone 1A has been closed, the cooking chamber 1, which is already closed in its lower zone, is closed with the help of the linearly displaceable flap 3. Fresh water is supplied to a storage container 8 by a fresh water supply means 5 via a line 6 and an opened shut-off valve 7. From there the water reaches the heating chamber 13 via a line 9 by means of a pump 10 through a check valve 11 at a predetermined pressure which can be read from a pressure gauge 12. The heating chamber 13 encompasses the cooking chamber 1 like a radial clearance. Heating rods 14 are disposed in the intermediate walls between the cooking chamber 1 and the heating chamber 13. Before the actual heating process begins the entire heating chamber 13 is filled with water and a predetermined amount of water is filled into the cooking chamber 1 by way of a filling line 15 which is equipped with a pressure control valve 16. Once the desired water level has been reached within the cooking chamber 1, the shut-off valve 15A in the filling line 15 is closed, so that the cooking chamber is shut hermetically. A flap 17 which can be pivoted about an axle is used for this purpose in its outlet zone 1A.
The overpressure prevailing in the cooking chamber 1 caused by the actual cooking process is reduced by opening the shut-off valve 22 disposed in a pressure relief line 18 which is connected via shut-off valve 19 with a waste water line 20 ending in a waste-water discharge 21 and a shut-off valve 22 and line 23 connected to the drainage chamber 2 Now the cooking chamber 1 and the drainage chamber 2 are approximately at the same pressure level. After the closure of the shut-off valve 22, one can open the flap 17 and the cooked farinaceous products fall together with the remaining cooking water into the drainage chamber 2.
A sieve 24 provided in the floor zone of the drainage chamber 2 forms the passage to line 23. After closing the shut-off valve 22 and opening the shut-off valve 25, the waste-water pump 26 ensures the drainage of the farinaceous products present in the drainage chamber 2. The sieve 24 ensures that the farinaceous products do not leave the drainage chamber 2. At the same time any overpressure present in the drainage chamber is reduced. A line 27 is used for this purpose which is connected to the fresh water line 6 by means of a shut-off valve 28 and is provided in the vicinity of its aperture into the drainage chamber 2 with a ventilation valve 29. Heat steam reaches from the drainage chamber 2 through a pre-heating line 30 to the storage container 8 and additionally heats the fresh water which will be heated later on by the heating rods 14. The pre-heating line 30 ends in the water line 20 and thus in the waste-water discharge 21. Once the farinaceous products have been separated from the cooking water, the readily prepared portion of farinaceous products can be served by means of the linearly displaceable flap 4 onto a plate or the like disposed below the drainage chamber 2.
The cross section of the cooking chamber 1 expands downwardly in a conical way. In this way any clinging of the cooked farinaceous products is prevented in this zone. In order to clean the drainage chamber 2, fresh water is conducted via line 6 into the drainage chamber 2 by opening the shut-off valve 28 after the serving of the farinaceous products and the renewed closure of flap 4. After the filling of the drainage chamber 2 and the closure of the shut-off valve 28, the shut-off valve 25 is opened and the pump 26 is activated, so that the waste water reaches the waste-water discharge 21 through the sieve 24 by way of the waste-water line 20 until the drainage chamber 2 is completely emptied.
The disadvantage in this known apparatus is that the guide means of the linearly displaceable flaps 3 and 4 must be arranged in such a way that the direction of displacement must be changed transversally to the inlet and outlet direction of the cooking chamber or the drainage chamber by 90.degree. so as to achieve the perpendicular closing direction. This is highly complicated with respect to the guide means and additionally requires a very high contact pressure of the flap in order to ensure the tightness of the respective chamber during the occurring high pressures. In addition to the linear drive it is necessary to provide a perpendicularly acting closing force in order to achieve this objective.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,045 an apparatus for the discontinuous preparation of noodles is known, with noodles that have already been readily cooked being provided in a refrigerated spiral storage means in individual containers, which noodles are then supplied on request of an operator to a heating device which will heat the already cooked, but refrigerated noodles. In this known apparatus the aforementioned problems during the cooking and draining do not occur.